The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-19
LOTS OF TALK BUT NO WORK
The Indianapolis Natural-Gas Company
Finally Learns the Price of Pipe,
Root and Branham Say About Their OBJ
sertations While at Pittsburg.

George T. Branham and G.. r. Root, president
| and secretary of the Indianapolis Natural gas
| Company. returned yesterday from Pittsburg.
| whore they went to look at pipelines in actual
| operation. and to make arrangements for
| wrought-iron pipe. A Journal reporter CHANGED
| to find Mr.. Root and Mr.. Branham in converse
ton the Office of tho latter, where a visitor was
| jokingly expressing his lack of confidence in
these two large coal dealers furnishing natural
gas at as early period they promised. Mr.
Branham spoke very earnestly. Root and /, !"
said he, will sell out our coal business now at
any price that three disnterested parties will
put upon it. and 1 will give the rent of my yards
free for one year to the purchaser. Yes" turn
lug to the reporter, "and I'll give you
mission if you make the SALE"
''What did you do while at Pittsburgh was
asked Mr.. Branham.
1--WE visited and inspected, said he, t'the entire
plant and the whole schema We went over the
Charters Valley Gas Company's line where the
first 20-inch wrought iron main ever made is being
laid. It runs into Plttsburg from the Marys-
vile district, which is twenty two miles away
about the same distance from Pittsburg that
Noblesville is from Indianapolis We inspected
this line which is going over mountains that are
almost impossible TO walk over. The grades
will exceed 2. 600 feet to the mile. The day be-
fore got there they tested three miles of this
~ inch pipe under a pressure of 300 pounds and
it had not been covered when we arrived on the
ground We also visited the Philadelpnia Nat
ural-eas Companys plant. at Pittsburg. of
which George Westinghouse is president. They
have nine million dollars invested. They
showed us their whole system, the records kept,
how the gas pressure controlled. their tele-
phone and telegraph connections with wells and
stations along the line. and. in short, gave us
the benefit of their experience. Mr.. Gillespie,
the superintendent. showed US many favors and
said he would be glad to furnish us any informa-
tion we might need and equipped with the
rules and regulations of the company"
But did you buy any piper queried the re-
porter
1--WE got propositions for pipe to submit to
our directors" was the answer, land these popo-
sltions we consider very acknowledgment more
so than we expected when we started for Pitts
burg"
docs that mean gas this winter"
ut does" came in chorus from Mr.. Root and
Mr.. Branham.
Il firmly believe We shall have gas here
this winter as that live" said Mr.. Branham.
And it will break our hearts if we don't get
it" remarked Mr.. Root ''l3y the way. we had
talk with Toledo man, a stakeholder in the
pipe line running into Toledo We asked him If
1t would not be great benefit to Toledo He
said that it would not; that the prices were too
high, and it would only be used as luxury
And. concluded Mr.. Root. "those are the prices
the Standard Oil Company wants to give this
city"
'How soon you going to get your pipe
here-the new pipe you are to buy2'
I've can not get pipe until the LIST of Septem-
Der and we do not want it until then. We
then have it delivered at the rate of three-ouar-
tiers of mile day. We will have q new gas
well coming in to-day or tomorrow three miles
east of Fishers station the farm of Rev.
Wheeler seven teen miles from here. Our we'll
the Wilson farm will be in the first of next
week. We are also drilling wells mile north
and half mile east of Greenfield. which will be
in in two weeks"
IT." asked the reporter. "al these wells
come in how many actually flowing wells will
Six The Greenfield district will be entirely
separate and we will run another line there.
The other wells are all within connecting dis
raDce Of one main line
The Westinghouse Philadelphia COM
pany, sid Mr. Branham, have eizhty-six
wells. Forty are in every day use-sometimes
as high as sixty-the others are held in reserve.
This company has 68, 900 acres Of handsome
owned. the remainder leased. Their Oldest well
mas osen IN use sso ah years aeos. SLOWS
frat year. You would not think from the way
they putting down lines that they ever
have the difficulty in piping here that they have
in that rocky and hilly region and will be able
to bring in more gas in a twelve-inch main than
they able TO bring in there in the same dis
tance-say twenty-five twenty five miles-in
sixteen-inch main, we will have less friction |
than where pipe runs up and down hill. We |
will lay ten and twelve-inch mains. We will |
start from the wells with tennch MAINS in |
creasing to twelve-inch to carry it to the city |
limits. The Philadelphia company has five |
miles of thirty-inch cast iron pipe in Pittsburg
That is for distributing gas reduced to low press
ure. We may have some pipe in the city |
as large twertyiuch. To show what natural |
gas has done for Pittsbure illustration is |
that at Carnegie Bros steel works two men are |
now doing work that before the introduction of |
gas required the labor of two hundred men. 1t |
took these two hundred to dig coal-for the Car |
negies have their own mnes-put it under the |
boilers and get rid Of the refuse. Now two men |
attend to regulating the supply of gas going into
the furnaces, and there Is no coa-dgging, SHOW |
cling or hauling away refuse. Yet there 80 |
per cent more men employed in Pittsburg than
before gas introduced there. At the great |
glass-works they whitewash the tall smoke
stacks clear to the top and take delight in hav-
ing things look bright and clean instead of hav-
ing every thing dirty and smoky, was Pitts
bure's pride in days gone by"
What does your company propose to dol"
'We propose to bring gas here. but pro-
pose to WORK somebody's experience rather
than TO go into any mere experimental business.
The information obtained at Pittsburg will |
be of great value to u.s."
Baneby In the Council.